


A Casual Distraction

by nhasablog



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Tickling, bathroom tickling, it's the new bathroom sex ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 11:10:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10807875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: So far they were alone, though anyone could walk in any minute. Tony found a thrill in that. Found a thrill in being seconds away from being caught.“Any requests?” Steve asked as he rolled up his sleeves.Tony licked his lips. “Just distract me.”“Yes, sir.”(Or, galas stress Tony out, especially now that he can’t drink his way through them, so Steve helps distract him.)





	A Casual Distraction

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my friend sour--strawberries's birthday. I hope you enjoy!

Going to these things wasn’t the same without the obligatory drink in his hand, Tony realized sadly. It wasn’t even necessarily for the sake of the booze, but just for the familiar comfort. The room was packed with famous - and usually stoned - businessmen and reporters who didn’t know how to take a break from their jobs and the occasional individual who had no idea what they were doing here but were intrigued enough to stick around and find out. Tony was all too used to galas like this; had practically been born in one.

The other members of the Avengers who were present did a good job of blending in, and for a brief moment they fooled even Tony into believing they, too, had made social interactions their second nature by the age of five. As good as they were at playing the agent roles, Tony could still see the very subtle awkwardness in their stances, in the way they spoke. He could be imagining it, though, seeing as he knew them and knew how they acted while relaxed. He was sure no one else was being as observant.

Covering his twitching mouth and turning away from where Clint was speaking to a much taller and older man and nodding along as if everything he was saying was the most interesting thing in the world, Tony spotted Steve instead. He looked a lot less comfortable, which wasn’t surprising. They weren’t here on a mission. Not really. Fury had just thought it’d be good for their publicity if they showed up. That meant that Steve wasn’t really sure of _how_ to act, since he wasn’t in Captain America mode. It was almost endearing.

“You’re having as much fun as I have, I see,” Tony said as he approached him, eyeing the still full champagne glass in Steve’s hand.

“Oh, I’m having the time of my life. Just look at my face.”

“It’s a beautiful face.”

Steve broke into that timid smile that Tony adored so much, and his whole body seemed to relax a bit. “Well, aren’t you a charmer?”

“I try, occasionally.” He reached for Steve’s glass - ignoring the way Steve instinctively tried to snatch it back from him - and placed it on the table next to them. “I could tell it was bothering you more than helping.”

Steve let his arm fall down to his side. “It was. How are you doing? I mean, with all the…” He trailed off, but pointed to the deserted glass and Tony understood.

“Surprisingly good, actually. I mean, I’m not physically fighting someone in order to steal their booze from them, so I count that as a victory.”

“I think you’re doing great.”

Tony sent him a small smile, “Thanks, Cap.” Tony always called him Cap when he was feeling a little nervous, which of course had resulted in him never calling him anything else during their first few weeks of dating. Steve had drawn the line when Tony had whispered it during an intimate moment, and Tony didn’t blame him.

Steve didn’t visibly react at the nickname, but Tony knew he’d noticed it. Instead he let his eyes roam around the room, giving Tony a moment to compose himself again. He was sure he was doing it on purpose, and he loved him even more for it, which was terrifying. Everything about his feelings for Steve was terrifying.

He cleared his throat and loosened his tie a bit when it felt like it hadn’t helped. “God, I need-”

Steve turned to him, his gaze never faltering. “What do you need?”

“A distraction. Something that isn’t this room. Something that isn’t fake and back combs its hair.”

“That’s a lot of things to choose from.” Steve glanced at his clock. “We’re technically not allowed to leave for another half hour. Fury’s orders.”

“We’re not allowed to leave the gala. They said nothing about leaving the room.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I’m gonna be blunt with you, Cap. Can we do it in the bathroom?”

“Can… what?”

“You heard me.”

“Now?”

“Uh huh.”

“Sure?” The beginning of Steve’s grin seemed more certain than his tone, so they made their way through the crowd together, Tony fighting his instinct to grab Steve’s hand the entire time. They needed publicity, yes, but the world wasn’t ready for this truth, sadly.

“And where are you two going?” Natasha asked as they passed her. She blended in perfectly with her long dark dress and confident stance, but Tony could see the exhaustion behind her eyes.

“Bathroom break,” he replied. “Too much staring at other people’s booze. You know how it is.”

“Ah, of course. And Steve is with you for moral support.”

“We’re trying to master the art of coexisting.”

Nat looked like she wanted to snort, but refrained. “If you’re gone for more than 20 minutes I’m gonna get Fury on your asses. We’re supposed to suffer through this together.”

“We’ll be back soon, don’t you worry.”

Grabbing Steve’s sleeve and pulling him with him, Tony made his way past her with a grin, only letting go once Steve was walking beside him.

The bathroom was huge. Tony could see Steve’s surprise when they entered, though he himself always found these rooms to be identical at every single gala he attended. Pristine white tile with gold taps and unnecessary decorations and way too small stalls which meant that it was impossible to actually do your business comfortably. They all looked the same.

The stalls weren’t meant for two people, and Tony reckoned they were designed that way on purpose.

So far they were alone, though anyone could walk in any minute. Tony found a thrill in that. Found a thrill in being seconds away from being caught.

“Any requests?” Steve asked as he rolled up his sleeves.

Tony licked his lips. “Just distract me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“A Captain taking orders- shihihit!”

Tony pressed his body against the stall, but the limited space made it impossible to get away from Steve’s hands, which was exactly their plan. This current habit of theirs had started as a desperate attempt to get Tony to calm down during a S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting once, and had now almost become a routine. As soon as they had to be exposed to uncomfortable situations they fled to a bathroom or a closet or anything really in order to get a moment to themselves, and then they tickled each other until they felt ready to take on the world again. It was pretty simple.

Steve’s fingers spidered up his ribs, and Tony was always equally surprised at how little his suit protected him. He knew his dress shirt offered nothing but a layer to keep the suit from bothering his skin, but you’d think a material as thick as this one would do the trick. He was glad it didn’t.

“Nonononono,” he managed to choke out through his laughter; laughter that he was trying to keep as quiet as possible. It wasn’t easy, but Steve hadn’t gone for one of his worst spots yet, so he knew it would only get harder.

Oh, he loved this.

Steve was being gentle, yet Tony was pressing himself so hard against the wall that he was afraid it would somehow break. The pain that was forming in his shoulder didn’t help either, so he twisted his body around so that his back was against the stall wall instead, which gave Steve more access to his upper body. His hands latched onto Tony’s hips instantly, and Tony howled with laughter.

“You like that?” Steve asked, the almost permanent grin on his face widening as Tony nodded. “Good, because I love doing it to you.”

He leaned closer, and Tony knew what he was planning on doing and started laughing before Steve’s mouth had even touched his neck. His giggling only intensified when Steve started nibbling, and once he blew his first raspberry Tony was gone. Someone then chose that exact moment to enter the bathroom, and Steve slapped a hand over Tony’s mouth just in time.

They waited, listening intently as someone entered the stall just next to theirs - of course - to do their business. Steve was still drumming his fingers gently over one of Tony’s hips, but it was mild enough for him to swallow down his laughter. He had a harder time calming down his breathing and was panting against Steve’s palm. They waited.

They waited.

Tony thought he would go crazy from all the waiting.

They had only been waiting for a few minutes by the time they were alone again, but it felt like an eternity.

They waited for a few more seconds for good measure.

Tony almost screamed when Steve’s hand set in motion again, but Steve was fortunately still covering his mouth, which muffled the sound. They couldn’t have anyone rush in here to see what all the commotion was all about. Tony was pretty sure there was no easy way to explain this.

Well, maybe they wouldn’t have to attend any more galas after that at least.

Steve wasted no time now. They could be interrupted any minute, and they knew they would have to emerge soon before anyone started wondering over their absence. He trapped Tony against the stall, making it almost impossible for him to escape, and let his fingers skitter over Tony’s belly. Having his most sensitive spot exploited like this drove Tony insane, and he threw his head back and tried to curl in on himself and practically did everything he could to make it stop, and yet it didn’t stop, and he was in ticklish hell and loving every second of it.

Steve’s fingers were unbearably light, unbearably experienced in the way they broke Tony to pieces, and unbearably skilled at everything they did.

It was definitely enough of a distraction.

“Fuck, fuck, fuhuhuck, stohohop!” Tony finally cried, having had enough for one session. He was also utterly aware of the fact that they couldn’t look too disheveled once they returned to the main room, and he felt sweaty enough as it was.

Steve backed off obediently, both of them taking a moment to just stand there as Tony tried to pull himself together again. He felt calmer, which had been the whole point, so he turned to Steve with a smile. “That was fun.”

“It was. We should do it again sometime.”

Tony let out a laugh. “That we should. Okay. I actually do need to use this thing now, so-”

“I’ll let myself out.”

They still hadn’t entirely reached that stage where they knew how to act once a tickle session was over, nor could they go to the bathroom when the other was in the room. They just weren’t there yet.

Tony did his business once Steve was out of the stall, and he could vaguely hear Steve enter a stall of his own. He washed his hands in the bathroom sink when he was done, Steve imitating him a few seconds afterwards, and they then spent a few minutes trying to make Tony look acceptable again. A little water could really do wonders to one’s hair.

The room was the same as before, yet they felt entirely different. Calmer. More willing to put up with it all. Tony didn’t even feel annoyed when a man he’d never seen before pulled him aside to talk to him about something that was only significant when it came to business, though he did feel a little irritated that the man had shoved Steve’s existence aside so carelessly as if he didn’t deserve to get greeted. This world he was a part of could be so unnecessarily cruel at times.

“That was a long bathroom break,” Nat noted once they found her, and she’d said it so monotonously, so matter of factly, that Tony had to laugh.

“You didn’t call Fury, did you?”

“Nah. I figured I could be nice. You owe me though, because if Clint had noticed he would’ve called immediately.”

“Name your price.”

“I’ll name it tomorrow. I’m too tired to think.”

“That bad, huh?”

“I don’t understand how you could’ve done this on a weekly basis once. What did you do before Steve became your break buddy?”

“I talked to people.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Then I got drunk.”

Nat didn’t say anything at that, but Tony could sense some sort of shift of mood, though he couldn’t entirely identify it.

“I better go find Clint. We should be able to leave soon.”

She left them alone, and Steve took a step closer once she was gone. “I’m proud of you for not drinking.”

“Yeah, well, I’m happy you’re here to be a distraction. Trust me, I need it.”

Tony wasn’t sure when he’d started being this honest. Maybe it was in general. Maybe it was only with Steve.

Steve licked his lips, and his gaze was so intense that Tony knew he would lean in and kiss him if they were alone. Maybe one day he would kiss him even if they were not.

“Come on,” he said, letting his hand brush over Steve’s briefly. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

**Author's Note:**

> I bet you thought this would be sexual you dirty minded people you. I hope I didn't disappoint too much, and please do consider leaving a comment (or at least a kudos) if you liked this!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com)


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